Goldenfrog's page

The power of PC's seems to go up with each release of a book in my games. UC,UPG,UM,UCG ect..the number of options and bonus's to the power of the pc's goes up and up while the monsters mostly stay the same.

Sure if I want to take a adventure path and update all the monsters and pc's with options from those books things might level back out but that's defeating the reason I love adventure paths(save time).

I have Clerics casting fireballs left and right,Wizards with whatever type of energy needed for a encounter on tap,Fighters with sky high AC's and barbarians with AC in the single digits but ungodly DR making high level casters look like low damage dealers.Even the monks are flitting about the battlefield seemingly untouchable.

I know,I know,it can be pointed out that I can limit the books used but we did pay cash for these books,I'd like to use em.

We can talk long into the night about min/maxers and how to discourage them but frankly the game itself seems to encourage such behavior.

What I would like to do instead is talk about CR. Perhaps one way of dealing with this issue is raising the APL of the party based on the added power of the characters now.

Perhaps that way lies madness.I can't decide.

Is the average party now equal to a APL party at release +2?

Would doing so mess with the game too much?

What can we do to balance things out without simply limiting the players or the books we bought?

Does anything even need to be done?

Tell me what ya think!

I have been asked to DM Pathfinder again by the largest group of Elite Power-gaming Min/maxers in the known universe. You guys all know these guys.Every character shows up to the table so overpowered (but still legal)that they blow through every official Pathfinder adventure Path without breaking a sweat.Karzoug? One rounded,The Shattered Star adventure path?Blown through so fast they made the DM cry at the table.

They consider it a game within itself to create the DM's worst nightmare type characters and then beat every encounter so bad the DM runs crying for Mommy and the comfort of the OSR.

These guys eat level +3 encounters for breakfast and level +4 encounters for lunch.By Dinner time there is nothing left.

Now normally I just don't run Pathfinder.I have a lot more fun playing it.Who needs that kind of stress right?

Maybe it's the Taco's I ate last night talking or The Dungeon Bastard video I watched last night going to sleep,but suddenly I woke up today and thought,It's on!

So this is my goal.

I want to try and DM a game of Pathfinder just like they play it. I want to figure out every loop hole,every trick,every last nugget of awesome overpoweredness and stomp the stuffing out of them.

Now don't get the wrong idea. I don't want to just kill them. That isn't hard at all,I want to beat them to death with as legal a Dungeon as possible while stretching things as far as I can go.

The goal here is for everyone to have fun and be insanely challenging while putting the fear back into the dungeon crawl.

For this I need your help. If you guys know of tricks,guides,have advice or idea that might help I would love to hear them! I'm one guy against four of the most twisted minds mankind has ever rolled dice with so I need the help!

So I finally get to play again instead of DM a game. I want to build a front line fighter that not only keeps a decent AC(probably sword and board) but has a great CMD/CMB but still can dish out the damage.

Now the character is going to also be in small party 3-4 people probably mostly a three man so I don't want to dip too low on Int or Wis for role playing reasons(I probably need to be a thinker and leader.

Now the DM runs mostly store bought adventures but isn't afraid to throw in some PL+3-5 encounters from time to time so a pure defensive build to boost the AC sky high probably will not work either.

I start 3rd level(my last character died,I was a caster with delusions of grandeur).

I need a solid build from 3rd level on and wanted to see if anyone felt like giving it a shot.Mostly to see if I had the right idea.

I'm not 100% sold on human or sword and board.That just seems like the best course for the free feat/skill point and the shield can add tons to AC.

The other option is a 32 point buy Cleric who isn't a healer bot(but has some heals)but frankly I have little experience playing a cleric who isn't mainly a healer.I'm not even sure how to go about it.

Thanks for any help you feel like throwing my way.

Reading the UC I see Taxes are levied against each PC equal to one encounters Total Treasure Value(of the current level).

Now part of me really likes this rule/guideline.Back in AD&D I paid taxes all over the place and although it was a pain in my arse it also grounded me a little more in the Fantasy World. I remember the songs and dances I would give that FANTASTICALLY knowledgeable Taxman! Back in the day the government of Greyhawk got Clerics to friggin collect the taxes. Hard to get a attitude with the guys who heal you I guess. Also they could detect lies!

Anyway,that Tax total seems a little high for me. Especially considering you pay EVERY LEVEL! Good Lord I hope no one has a long game weekend and makes two levels because they will really be paying out a hurt then!

Do you guys use Taxes at all? If so how?Why?

Do you think it adds tot he game?

Anyone tried to run a Pathfinder game with Dave Arneson's Blackmoor Campaign Setting?

I love the setting and it doesn't seem that much of a stretch to convert from 3.0 to Pathfinder.Heck most of it is just Fluff with perhaps only 20% needing to be converted.

Also I have The Blackmoor Mega-Dungeon that could be mixed with Rappan Athuk for a more flushed out adventure local.

Anyone have any ideas on the subject or better yet...any of the work done already? 8)

I run a weekly PF game for my family and friends. One of my players is a role player who went with Kobold Monk. After a bit we noticed he was really in last place doing damage,not a issue of itself as someone has to be last,but the gap was starting to get huge.

At 8th level I let him redo his feats ect to a more optimized build. Now he is doing much better but still isn't even close to the party's other dpr powerhouse the Barbarian.

I can tell this guy really loves his Monk but is starting to feel left behind again. He could in fact do more damage simply by picking up some weapons instead of unarmed(small size blows chunks)but he is INTO the whole unarmed thing.

I don't want to redo the Monk,I lack the skill and to be honest the desire to do so.

What I did think about doing was to add a few Monk only feats to my home game.

Something like a chain of feats to increase unarmed damage by die type.

Perhaps one or two feats that let him swap out his STR for Dex for damage with unarmed attacks.

Would you guys think this would unbalance things the other way? It's hard for me to see even those changes out damaging our crazy two weapon great sword wielding barbarian but perhaps I can't see it clearly.

Any thoughts would be appreciated,Thanks!

If you just HAD to make a Kobold,Halfling or Gnome Magus how would you do it?

For those without the Kobold race from Midgard (-4 Str,-2 Con,+4 Dex)small +1ac,+1 to hit for size,-1 CMB/CMD,+4 stealth,base move 30 feet,Darkvision,+1 ac due to thick scales,+2 to trap crafting,+2 to perception as well as prof-Miner,Craft and trap making are always class skills,Light Sensitivity.

I'm thinking a Kobold Magus might be very doable but a Halfling one might work as well. Both I figure would need weapon finesse/dervish dance.

Now I can see issues with this idea but with the DM letting us start with 32 point buy stats and I'm told a extra feat for two drawbacks it just might work.

What do you guys think?

I finally get to play in a game! I will be joining a Midgard/Freeport/Razor Coast tactical min/max power gaming group on Mondays.

This is a nice stretch for me as normally I run more role playing and less proficient type games. Half of my players have not read more of the game than basic class/race information.

I am a gamer who loves all types of gaming so I jumped at the chance to play with these guys.

However,I want to be able to hold my own and start at a distinct disadvantage as this play style isn't my norm. I mean these guys often milk every last point out and I hear stories of one trick ponies that decimated encounters they should have lost.

Again,this style of play I think could be fun as I know it going in and well frankly tactical style play is so different for me that it's like a new game.

All that said I can use any Pathfinder book as well as Midgard, Freeport or Razor Coast class/feat ect.. Oh and also Tome of Secrets.

I start out at first level and I think the first adventure is (To Slay a Dragon).

I was told to make a melee damage dealer that doesn't need to rely on outside buffs. Added to that I would like help making something a little more easy to play while still staying in the ballpark.

I'm thinking Fighter or Barbarian but really I have no idea what class's are best for my needs. I think the group is caster heavy so that is why I was asked to play a melee character.

ANY help you guys could give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I don't know why my players love to drive me mad. One of them always wants to play bizarre race type characters. He is most famous for his half-orc paladin at least in our Pathfinder games.

Now he has his sights set on a half goblin barbarian.He read the idea on some message board about how Goblins can mate with just about anything so now he has this huge back story made up about a female Goblin shaman seducing a Dwarf while the Dwarf was captured! -----I covered my ears during that part.

So he wants to play a Goblin-Dwarf Barbarian.

My got reaction is just to say no but then I think about it and what do I care?

Let him make a 1/2 orc and just make him short and with green skin?

I guess I could make it up with the ARG but that seems like a lot of work for one character.

Anyone have any 1/2 Goblin thoughts?

We don't use computers ect at the game table. Mostly because we play in a area with 0 net access.Also in general we just don't use electronics at the table.

Is there anything else like SORD PF? A updated version would be nice as well but looking I don't think its been updated in a while.

Still might be worth it I guess if the only other option is cracking the big book every time.

So I just got my bestiary and was creating a adventure when I realized that pages 201-216 are missing. Not as in have been ripped out of the book but as in were never in the book! On top of that pages 217-224 are printed twice!

I'm not sure what to do about this. Is this a known issue? Was it corrected? Can I just take a picture of my book's messed up pages and at least get the missing monsters?

Help!

I was challenged to run the entire Castle Whiterock for my group. We have all the 3.5 books as well as all the Pathfinder core books and a few others.

I am not that experienced with 3.5 or Pathfinder but I do have a lot of time Dming other editions under my belt. I am however rather lazy when it comes to spending a whole lot of time prepping the game. A hour or two per game session is ok,beyond that im fudging things.

I do not have to have everything balanced or by the book but I would like to give the PC's a run for there money.

If I used Pathfinder for our games is it going to cause major issues? I realize Pathfinder characters are more powerful but this group runs old school style races and class's and really they are known for getting in over there heads so maybe it will work out? Im not against throwing a extra monster or three at them to make them work for there money from time to time.

I could just use 3.5 but dang it some of my Pathfinder books have never been opened!

Let me know what you guys think and if it's not too much a pain what you think I should do to make things balanced as far as beefing up the monsters go.

Thanks for your Help!

I like Pathfinder. I will play it any time I get a chance but as far as Dming goes it is just too dang rules heavy for me.After playing it for a while now im burnt out on anything rules heavy.

What I want to see is a Basic Pathfinder game. The basic class's.A very basic combat system and race and class mix. Something like Pathfinders version of the old Basic D&D.

No skill system, and needed a lot of DM wining it to cover holes ect..

I want 10-15 min combats. I want 10 min NPC creation and everything else just as simple.

I know not everyone else wants any of this and im fine with that. I also know there are tons of rules lite games and retro clones etc but I love the Paizo guys and the types of adventures they put out.

The Intro set might be good,I have not kept up with it other than a general feeling it is only a intro and not a separate game.

So here is to my hope and dream that I can get my cake and eat it to!

I'm a old geezer who runs very active group of mixed role players. We have been playing Swords and Wizardry and Castles and Crusades for a while now as several of us older types were more comfortable with that type of game.

Wanting to be fair towards some of our newer members we tried out 4E and after a good try have decided to move on to Pathfinder. $300 and a week of reading over the game im getting ready to start running it soon but there are a few things that don't fit my group very well.

We are NOT a very tactical group. Not once has anyone used minatures in our games. Not once has anyone really wanted to Sunder or Shield bash or really anything else very tactical.

We really do like combat but just seem to be much more abstract in how we use it in the games. All those little rules on combat sit unused and frankly unloved by us.

My 1st notion is just to ignore them. Run combat the same as we always have and just pretend they are not there. I doubt any of my players would pick any feats ect that would use them and the only A.O.O. we use is when fleeing battle.

My question is in playing this way do you see any huge issues with the game? Are those abilities more important in pathfinder and how do you think the game will play without them?

One of the reasons is a friend of mine who also runs Pathfinder seems to think the game would be broken if no attack of opportunity ect..

Also do you guys have any ideas on things I should use/not use in my goal to keep a more old school combat while playing a new school game like Pathfinder.

Thanks!